Jokic, Giannis, and Wemby lead charge; Doncic’s triple-double falls short vs Sabonis

By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net

Zach LeDay recently said that he expects European players to take half of the NBA League in the coming years. Well, they are still not close to that number, but they are surely dominant.

Nikola Jokic was three assists shy of another triple-double in a 111-105 win over the Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers.

The Cameroonian center dropped out in the last minute due to left knee soreness, leaving the fans without another spectacular clash against Jokic. However, the Serbian center still had his own show, leading the Nuggets with 26 points, 16 rebounds, and seven assists.

Nikola took the chance to show respect to his great opponent.

“If you’re a basketball fan or a soccer fan or NFL fan, the things that he’s doing right now, it’s historic, and we need to appreciate that… Whether you’re a Denver fan or whatever fan, I think you need to appreciate what he is doing,” Jokic said after the match.

The Serbian player was just one of the European bunch that shined brightly once again. Lauri Markkanen was another, scoring 33 points with 12 rebounds in a Utah Jazz 122-134 win on the road against the Charlotte Hornets.

The Finnisher entered the Top 10 all-time in 30-point games by a Utah player with 12-18 shooting from the field and 7-12 from beyond the arch.

Giannis Antetokounmpo dominated again in the Milwaukee Bucks’ crushing 141-117 win over the New Orleans Pelicans with 30 points and 12 rebounds. Jonas Valanciunas also had a double-double on the other side with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

He was one out of four Bucks players with 20 or more points as Milwaukee matched their fourth-largest victory margin in the last match before Doc Rivers took over.

Victor Wembanyama continued dominating in his rookie season, leading the San Antonio Spurs to their 10th win of the season. He scored 23 points with 10 rebounds and six assists in a 113-112 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Wemby also scored a key three-pointer with two minutes on the clock to give Spurs a 112-107 lead. Anthony Edwards managed to tie the score, but Keldon Johnson handed San Antonio the win from the free-throw line. Jeremy Sochan also played a big role with 13 points.

In the end, the French prodigy became the first rookie ever to record 20+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists, 2+ steals, 2+ blocks with 3+ three-pointers in a game. Not even his compatriot Rudy Gobert managed to stop him, even though he recorded 19 points.

And last, but definitely not least, the clash between the Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings. In the end, the team led by Domantas Sabonis prevailed with a 115-120 win, despite another astonishing performance from Luka Doncic.

Just 24 hours after his record-breaking 73-point performance, Luka had an impressive triple-double with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 17 assists. His third triple-double of the season, with only Nikola Jokic (13) and Sabonis (12) having more.

“With the depth that we have, he’s out there trying to do it by himself,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “That’s who he is. He loves to take on the world.”

As for the Lithuanian, he ended up being the fourth-best scorer of the winning side with 17 points on 7/10 shooting but also grabbed 11 boards and dished four assists.

NBA results:

Denver Nuggets – Philadelphia 76ers 111-105 (Jokic 26p, 16r, 7as – Korkmaz 3p)
Brooklyn Nets – Houston Rockets 106-104 (Sengun 15p, 11r)
Boston Celtics – LA Clippers 95-115 (Queta 8p, Mykhailiuk 6p – Theis 18p, 7r)
Charlotte Hornets – Utah Jazz 122-134 (Markkanen 33p, 12r, Fontecchio 5p)
Milwaukee Bucks – New Orleans Pelicans 141-117 (Giannis 30p, 12r – Valanciunas 13p, 10r)
Golden State Warriors – LA Lakers 144-145 OT (Saric 5p)
San Antonio Spurs – Minnesota Timberwolves 113-112 (Wemby 23p, 10r, Sochan 13p, Osman 2p – Gobert 19p, 7r)
Dallas Mavs – Sacramento Kings 115-120 (Doncic 28p, 10r, 17as, Kleber 5p – Sabonis 17p, 11r)